WikiLeaks founder Assange was arbitrarily detained — UN panel

February 05, 11:35UTC+3The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention comprising five independent experts has called on the Swedish and UK authorities to immediately end Assange’s "deprivation of liberty"

GENEVA, February 5. /TASS/. A UN panel has concluded that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who has been staying at the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 was arbitrarily detained, according to the UN expert group’s findings released on Friday.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention comprising five independent experts has called on the Swedish and UK authorities to immediately end Assange’s "deprivation of liberty," ensure the freedom of his movement and compensate him.

The UK authorities said on Thursday they intended to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to Sweden, despite the UN experts’ recommendations.

WikiLeaks founder Assange requested asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on June 19, 2012 to avoid his extradition to Sweden over rape and sexual assault allegations.

Assange has rejected all the accusations, calling them politically motivated. Assange insists that the UK’s attempt to extradite him to Sweden to face questioning on rape charges conceals plans to further extradite him to the United States to face potential prosecution over WikiLeaks revelations.

The Ecuadorian government granted Assange political asylum in August 2012 but he can’t go to the Latin American country as UK police are constantly on duty near the Ecuadorian embassy in London ready to arrest him, if tries to leave the building.